For centuries I've been alone, choosing to live a life of modesty despite the wealth surrounding me.

I deserve to be punished.

I crave things I have no business craving.

And it is manifesting itself in a way I'm terrified I won't be able to control any longer.

Especially since she arrived.

Vampire. Orphan. Beaten beyond recognition.

My blood calls to her in a way that makes no sense.

I'm a wolf.

She's a vampire.

The two don't mate.

They barely tolerate one another.

All it takes is one slip of control on my part — one taste.

And I doom us all.

Then again, I never knew what is lurking inside has the power to balance good and evil.

Mason is the werewolf king, but stepped down when grief for his dead mate became too much to handle. He has been suppressing his instincts for centuries, punishing himself for his mate’s death. When Serenity arrives at the house, injured and needing help, he craves her in a way that isn’t nature. He isn’t supposed to desire her he isn’t supposed to want to take her as a mate. She is a vampire.

Yet again, Rachel has turned traditional lore into something new. Part of what I enjoy most about this series is the creativity and twists it takes on traditional fantasy character types. I was unable to make clear predictions about the direction of Mason and Serenity’s future, past, or present with the way things were blended together. I was constantly on my toes wondering the whys and hows behind their story.

I have been waiting for Mason’s story since we met him at the beginning of the series and this did not disappoint! I loved watching as Mason came to grips with his past while fighting his cravings for Serenity. The way these two character’s stories were intertwined was a perfect mix of chemistry and fate.

The return to this world and the group of characters was great. I love the family that has formed out of so many different types of paranormal beings. Angels, vampires, werewolf, sirens, and fallen all move in and out of the scenes fluidly and as if they really exist on the same plane.

This is officially and technically a standalone, but having read the whole series, I can’t image reading Mason’s story not knowing the buildup that’s been happening throughout the series, the meanings behind the little interactions between him and the other members of the council. That being said, they are little interactions, and the build up isn’t necessary to follow this story.

I was gifted with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The air around me thickened with a sweet-smelling fog. I inhaled and closed my eyes, allowing my baser instincts to take over.

“Wolf.” She whispered my name.

I sniffed. The voice was not familiar. It was not my mate. It was… other.

“Wolf,” she beckoned again.

Branches crunched beneath my feet as I made my way closer to the sweet scent, closer to the warmth, closer to what I should have been running from.

I was already mated.

And yet — I was being pulled.

Like a siren’s song.

I hated sirens.

Every last one of them.

But only the strongest were male.

This — I sniffed the air again as ecstasy took over — this was no male.

This was all female.

The instinct to protect kicked in, forcing a surge of adrenaline through my limbs as I staggered toward the trees.

Green eyes blinked through the fog.

I stilled.

My breath caught.

Vampire.

I frowned, reaching for her.

“Kiss me, Wolf.”

Why was I tempted?

Why did I want to touch this being?

When every hair stood on end like she was foe not friend. When I had a mate back home that I loved more than life itself.

Confusion warred with disgust, and then the vampire stood on her tiptoes and pressed her cheek against mine, the way my people greeted.

But she was no wolf.

Her lips grazed the outside of my ear before she bit down onto my neck…

I jerked awake. Sweat pooled the bed like I’d just taken a shower.

And my mate, the one I was so convinced would be lying right next to me, was gone.

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

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The books reviewed on this blog are purchased with our own money, won in a giveaway, or have been provided by an author, publisher, publicist/tour company, Netgalley, or Edelweiss. If we've received the book from any of the above promotional companies they come free of charge in exchange for our honest review. This, however, does not affect our opinions of the books or the content of our reviews.